A key to homeschooling well, on at least a somewhat consistent basis, is to maintain a vision.
Without direction, without hope, without a goal in sight, we will likely flounder, often.
Where do you find your encouragement, your refocusing? Do you have goals in writing, or at least clearly in mind for homeschooling your children?
First and foremost, we must turn to the Scriptures for their direction and wisdom. God’s love and strength come in abundance to carry us through even the toughest days.
I want to share a little secret that has helped me recover my enthusiasm time and again for what I do and why I do it. In addition to a daily quiet time in His Word, I listen to and read from fellow homeschoolers often:
Blogs — many homeschoolers blog about their ideas, their inspirations, their rough days, and their high points. I have found encouragement in reading about others’ successes and struggles. If you need to track down some good ones, check out the Homeschool Blog Awards.
Recordings — Most mornings I squeeze in at least a quick walk and while walking I listen to my MP3 player that actually doesn’t have music. It has something that inspires me far more — the workshops from the ICHE convention. I bought the whole set and put it on my player so I can listen to it in snippets each morning. Tedd Tripp’s talks could be listened to repeatedly in my opinion. So much wisdom out there, both online and through recordings.
Read books — Most homeschool moms don’t need encouragement to do this more often. 🙂 But, if you find yourself a little travel weary in your homeschool journey, you may want to restock your nightstand. I don’t always read homeschool related books, but try to always have at least one book in addition to the Bible that encourages me either spiritually or as a mother or wife. When I keep those roles in their proper perspective, homeschooling somehow remains a joy.
Homeschooling Magazines — I especially enjoy The Old Schoolhouse Magazine for its variety of practical articles as well as refreshing encouragement, there are lots of other great magazines out there, too.
What books or speakers have you enjoyed or found great encouragement in? Favorite websites, blogs, etc.? Fortunately we don’t homeschool in a bubble, and we can draw so much encouragement from each other, whether face-to-face, through the internet, or through books and recordings.
These sources of encouragement have definitely Worked for Me.